YouTube Could Become Soccer Player

Today in international tech news: YouTube could become a player in the high-priced world of soccer highlights. Also: Video is released of Kim Dotcom's arrest; the Philippines takes to social media to coordinate flood relief; Facebook takes down an Australian page.

YouTube is not itself producing the videos for the Scottish league but is instead acting as a platform for the league's own videos. Still, this sort of dissemination could prove a watershed in the exceptionally high-priced world of sports video content -- especially when it comes to the Premier League, which is the world's most watched soccer league.

The two companies that purchased live rights for the Premier League -- BskyB and BT -- paid more than US$4.6 billion for three years worth of content. But those rights don't include "near-live" rights -- which is where Google might make a bid. PaidContent goes over some of the logistics involved in such a deal.

First Court Documents, Now Video

Earlier this week,
details of the arrest of Kim Dotcom, founder of the file-sharing site Megaupload, who is wanted on copyright charges in the U.S., emerged in the form of court documents. The testimonies therein depict an over-the-top scene with helicopters and, according to Dotcom, some punches and kicks, as well.

Now there is video of the raid:

The arrest came at the request of U.S. authorities, who are currently trying to extradite Dotcom to the States to put him on trial for what is believed to be the grandest case of copyright infringement in history.

Social Media Used In Philippines Flooding

In the Philippines, which has been ravaged by floods in recent days, citizens, nonprofit organizations and government agencies are using social media to coordinate relief efforts, according to Mashable.

The floods, which have displaced a reported 80,000 residents and killed at least 50 people, have inspired people to use Facebook and Twitter to disseminate information.

Filipino citizens are among the most social media-savvy in the world, according to Mashable. About 50 percent of the population uses social networks, and they're using them now to save lives. Twitter hashtags such as #RescuePH (for rescue calls), #FloodsPH (for breaking news) and #PHalert (for official government alerts) have, quite literally, become lifesavers.

Locals have also created a map through Google Maps to detail where relief centers are, and have set up rescue requests through Google Docs.

Facebook Takes Down Crude Australian Page

The page, Aboriginal Memes, invited people to post jokes about Aboriginals. A petition with thousands of signatures, as well as a government condemnation, prompted Facebook to take down the page.

The creator of the page was a 16-year-old boy from the city of Perth.

Australia's communications minister, Stephen Conroy, applauded the removal of the page. He added that Australia doesn't abide by American laws -- apparently a reference to hate speech falling under the umbrella of free speech -- and said that just because Facebook is American doesn't mean such discrimination should be permitted.

China Focused on Cyberpolitics

Noting that "cyber politics" played a roll in the tumult in North Africa and the Middle East, China's Communist Party -- already plenty wary of the Internet -- is now even
more paranoid about the Web, according to WantChinaTimes.com.

WantChinaTimes cites the People's Tribune, which published an article this week saying the Internet had altered the geopolitics of the Arab World, starting with the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia in early 2011. The article -- published under the watchful eye of the Communist Party -- says that it is increasingly easy for revolutionaries to incite unrest via the Web.

This, the article said, has changed the political life of Chinese citizens and introduced new challenges to China's authoritarian government. Among the challenges mentioned by the People's Tribune are the organizational power of microblogging platforms and the rise of individualism.

Tech Trek is a blog that looks at tech news from around the world. David Vranicar is a freelance journalist currently living in the Netherlands. His ECT News Network archive, with links to articles and podcasts, is
available here. You can email him at david.vranicar@newsroom.ectnews.com.